Therapist Unlimited Blog

Prescription drug abuse has becoming the new trend among teenagers, especially when it can be purchased inside the school grounds.

Just recently, three girls were rushed to the hospitals after taking prescription drugs before lunch. This abuse has been caused when two of their classmates supplied and gave them drugs. Police even believes that two Cedar Hill students, who are the suspects for such a crime, talked the three into taking the drugs.

This incident triggered the students and the parents to react. Many of them found it hard to believe the incident since the students don’t look like they’d take drugs and that they aren’t smart enough to think things through. Parents, clearly, expressed their concerns about their kids’ welfare.

Read more about this story in:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22105926/

If you think that depression is all about feeling extreme sadness, then you are wrong. Sadness and having long face are not manifested by depression. You can be laughing for hours and have fun while you are clinically depressed. And sometimes, you can even be unaware that you fit the characteristics of a depressed individual. So how would a person determine if he r she is really depressed? Here are some of the signs:

1. negative approach to situations

2. low self-esteem

3. lack of self-worth

4. blaming someone or something for terrible scenarios

5. inability to move on

I know, I know. Dating is one of those prime teenage moments. I know what it’s like to go out with someone you like - it brings all the cheesy and mushy stuff in you which makes it quite memorable. But the purpose of this blog is not about the sweet things of teenage dating, but rather, it focuses on the opposite side of it - the dangers of going out with someone.

There are several reports of date rape and abused which happened during dates where the victim falls helplessly in the hands of his/her prey, indulging in his/her possessions - whether it’s personal or physical.  Some are even murdered after this so-called date, especially when things have gone terribly wrong. Sadly, there are teenagers who thought that this date would be a fairy tale story have grown up with suffering and even trauma with that ended up as a real horror.

But there is still hope. And even if it;s hard to resist with the screaming feeling of possible relationship with someone through dating, there are preventive measure to stop date abuse:

1. Get to know the person well.  Is he a person you can trust? Does she mean no harm? These are the most fundamental things that should pop in your  mind when flirtation and even courtship is taking place. It’s not just about similar interests or talents, but characteristics and sense of individualism should also be taken into consideration.

2. Bring someone to your date. I know. Sometimes, it sucks to have someone around you when you and your love interest gets a crowd. You don’t have much privacy. But having a companion can also lessen the possibility of falling victim of a potential date abuser.

3. Intimidate. Do this in a positive way. Show to your date that you are a person of strength. That you can’t be underestimated and can’t be a helpless victim when someone threatens you. Show that you are a person of class and wit - that you can not be deceived with tricks and games and get into their trap like they expect/

Depression not only causes negative effects to one’s self but it also affects the way you interact with others. One unhealthy effect is the fact that others are no longer willing to interact with you and sadly, you will notice that they are even trying to avoid you. Suicidal tendency is one of the worst effects of depression. It is a very dangerous escape mechanism for problems. Some people who are experiencing this problem often has a self-destructive nature that has the tendency to destroy life. They withdraw from life and lose their creativity. Another problem is the fact that health is being ignored drastically. These effects of depression needs to be stopped and the only way to do this is to be able to cope up and handle depression.

Coping up with depression is a pretty hard job especially if you are not used to being depressed. First thing to do to be able to cope up is to recognize that you are already depressed. Also, try to have a thorough physical exam to eliminate any physiological reason for the depression. Anti-depressant medication also help from time to time and you must have guidance from a licensed physician. Once you are depressed, you must be able to identify the reason for that depression. Thinking irrational will not help. It is best to develop a more realistic perspective. Working with self – esteem enhancements will be a big boost in coping up with depression. These are just a few tips on how to cope up with depression. One’s self is always the best tool against problems such as depression.

Depression is a psychological disorder that brings the person with extreme negative thoughts. Sometimes, when an individual can no longer cope with this state, he or she is most likely to commit suicide, making depression the number cause of it. So what causes someone to be in this state?

1. loss of a loved one

2. failed relationships

3. inability to reach the goal

4.  verbal, sexual, or physicalabuse

5. inability to cope with the problems well

After several moments of thinking, you finally decided to keep a self-journal; its promising results are not just mere word-of-mouth, but real effects that put people into betterment. But do you know that there is also a risk in keeping one?

There is always a possibility that your most private thoughts can be read by someone. When you accidentally leave it in a less safer place and someone finds it, his/her natural reaction may be curiosity since that notebook poses unfamiliarity. That person may think, “Hey I haven’t seen this notebook before. I wonder what’s inside it.” And then, the revelation of your most inner thoughts will take place. Worse, you have no idea when someone has already it and if he/she can be trusted with such crucia issues or he/she might take it against you.

Though it can be accounted for as paranoia, it can’t be denied that such thing happens. That a simple mistake it putting your journal in a safer place can cause this and the damage can be devastating when you don’t want someone to get into your privacy.

Self-journals, as they say is one of the best self-therapies an individual can have. Its results can bring betterment to to his/her well-being as it promotes self-discoveries, clearer thoughts, a way of healing, etc. On the other hand, if you are encouraged to keep one but don’t know how to, then follow this simple instructions for you to have this effective self-therapy.

1. Self-preparation.  There are things which you used to ignore that should be included in your self-journal. If it’s about loss, heartbreak, anger, and pain that you haven’t faced for a long time, then you have to open these up and face such issues by writing all them down. Aside from that, even if it’s just writing, keeping a self-journal also reuwires strenght and courage in facing all the issues and finding way to solve it.

2. Find the purpose of your journal. Journals have different purposes that respond to its kind like dream journal which contains an individual’s dream or anger journal that serves as an outlet when one is angry.  Furthermore, the most common journal is similar to diary where it keeps the records of events of his/her life. But unlike diaries which requires the daily track of events, journals can be used depending on the owner’s desire.

3. Make it fun. Just because journals keep serious matters in life doesn’t mean that they have to be plain and boring. The owner can also post pictures and letter cut-outs to make it more colorful.

You find drinking quite fun? Well, almost everyone does, especially the party goers and the social people who find drinking alcohol a pleasure. While it is okay to drink by yourself or with your buddies, there are still limitations to this before it becomes so fun that it turns into a daily habit and worse, alcoholism.

Remember that there is a thick line between liking alcohol very much and alcoholism, where the latter suggests alcohol addiction. To find a way to determine if you fit in this category, here are three signs of alcoholism:

1. Making drinking a daily habit. Of course it’s okay to drink during special occasions. Even doing it without any reason is okay. On the other hand, if this is done everyday and most of the time, then it is time to be alarmed with the situation. Daily drinking can be a sign that alcohol is already part of your system, especially when you feel uncomfortable without the alcohol running down your throat.

2. Inability to stop drinking. You find yourself drinking after reminding yourself for hundred times that you are going to stop it. This thought manifests that alcohol is already a part of your body where you feel incomplete without tasting alcohol. And no matter how hard you convince yourself to refrain from doing this, you still find yourself indulging to alcohol to make yourself satisfied.

3. You spend all your money with alcohol. If your main purpose of earning money is to spend with alcohol, then you really have issues with alcoholism. This makes you spend all your bucks to alcohol and you are able to drink it by yourself.

Standing up and fixing yourself again won’t take away the fact that you turn red once you slumped down the floor. And you even turn more red when everyone in the hallway turned their heads on your directions. Some of them hid their faces to stop them from laughing, some just don’t give a damn while laughing at the top of their lungs in front of you, while the other are just too shocked to react.

Face it. You are embarrassed and no matter what you do, you can no longer take back what put you int this situation. Worse, you can be remembered as “the slumper” for the rest of your student life. But you can avoid this you know? It all lies on how you stand up and handle your case….

1. Laugh at your own mistake. You may stand up with a big grin on your face or even laugh at yourself as you face your giggling crowd. Even if your smile or your laughter isn’t real, this will help you lessen the damage, giving the people an idea that you are not embarrassed at all.

2. Make excuses. Once you find yourself in an embarrassing situation, make an excuse and tell it aloud so the people would determine the cause of that embarrassing accident. In this way, they wouldn’t think that that accident is actually a manifestation of you being stupid.